The only way to understand Brest's achievements in 2024 is to connect with a collection of its most unlikely heroes. The club has eschewed the trend within Ligue 1 of signing younger and younger talent, and in the 2023/24 season they had the third-oldest squad in the league. And yet it was a team that defied all odds and shocked France with a historic third-place finish and automatic qualification for the competitive stages of the newly created Champions League.
Among the number of unlikely heroes is Mathias Pereira Lage, a flexible winger who can play in a variety of positions, and someone who outside of a handful of appearances for the Portuguese U21 has never really threatened to step into the wider public consciousness outside of France, the country . where he was born. However, the 2023/24 season would prove to be slightly different for Pereira Lage.
The winger was largely used as an off-bench option for head coach Eric Roy, starting just 13 of the 33 games he played in. However, despite the limited starts, Pereira Lage was still heavily relied upon. He was an impact sub, regardless of whether Brest needed to consolidate a winning position or look for a goal. Three goals and three assists marked a good result for the winger, with one of his strikes saving a point in a 2-2 draw against Paris Saint-Germain.
His role this season at the club, which is experiencing European football for the first time in its history, has not expanded dramatically compared to the previous season. And Pereira Lage remains Roy's trump card, as he has made just six starts in 17 games, but has scored twice, including in the Champions League against RB Salzburg. It's a position that may frustrate many other players, but it's one that the winger seems keen to occupy for Les Pirates.
Pereira Lage has never worried about his position in the team and never tried to convince his head coach to play him more. As he told Le Télégramme in an interview: “I have never been a bit sh*t. I don't have that in me. Sometimes, sometimes I think I should be, or at certain times. But the truth is that I have always been in a good mood and enjoying life.”
For Brest, there is something about Pereira Lage that sums up the team. A player who is willing to work hard and seize the opportunities he gets; an unlikely hero for an unlikely team.
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